Sunday, November 27, 2011

Some Gift Ideas of the Digital Kind

It is time again for me to give my annual suggestions for gift giving of the digital kind ranging in price from only a few bucks to a couple hundred. This week and next we will look at a few.

If your gift giving list includes someone who likes to read books, an eReader may be just the ticket. There are a number of them on the market right now and there seems to be a new offering every week. My recommendation is still the Kindle which has several models. I suggest either the Kindle Touch or Kindle Keyboard. While Amazon.com, the maker of the Kindle, now has the Kindle Fire, if the person getting the gift is really just interested in reading books, the Touch or Keyboard versions are the best as they both use eInk technology that is easy on the eyes and allows battery life to extend to weeks.

The least expensive Kindle costs about $79.00 but you have to put up with annoying advertising pitches and Amazon “special offers” on the screen. Spend the extra 20 bucks and select the version without screen saver advertisements.

The Kindle Fire has been getting a lot of attention for the very attractive price of $199 and many describe it as a less expensive iPad; I don’t agree. The Fire has great graphics and a color screen, but it is not an iPad. In my opinion, the Fire is a device primarily designed to allow the easy purchase and display of the many media products sold by Amazon.com. If that is what you are looking for, go no further. If you really want the best tablet on the market, the iPad is still the gold standard.

How about some stocking stuffers for that teen on your list. You can’t go wrong with an iTunes gift card. They come in denominations from $15 up to $100. You can get them on line at the iTunes Store. For that avid reader who uses the Kindle, Amazon.com has gift cards in most any denomination. They can be used to purchase books as well as any other product sold by Amazon.

For that digital photography buff, how about giving an extra SD Card? They can be purchased beginning at about 10 bucks. You can never have enough SD Cards especially when you are on vacation as they fill up fast.

Next week I’ll have more suggestions.

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